PRESIDENT'S BLOG - A few weeks ago, Politico published an article,"The Happy Go Lucky Jewish Group that Connects Trump and Putin,” that suggested nefarious connections among Chabad, Putin and Trump. It failed to make its case and unfairly maligned the entire Chabad movement. While a few in the Jewish community criticized the publication of these unfounded conspiracy theories and absurd generalizations, most remained silent. Click here to read David Bernstein's full blog on "Media Hatchet Job on Chabad Is Troubling."

JCPA NEWS

Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War with JCPA - Throughout the year, JCPA has prioritized educating and activating the community around the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War. JCPA is hosting a symposium on June 11 to commemorate the anniversary during our Spring meeting. We have also compiled resources and conducted webinars for the field.

REGISTER NOW! As part of JCPA's Spring Meeting we are co-hosting a symposium, The Seventh Day: Israel at a Crossroads on the 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War on June 11, 12:00pm - 6:00pm in New York City.The symposium is co-sponsored by JCPA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). Click here to register.

Watch JCPA's webinar held in April provided an overview of the Center for Israel Education (CIE)'s multi-media curriculum entitled The June 1967 War: How it Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History. as well as ideas on how to use it locally. The webinar featured Ken Stein, CIE's President.

JCPA joins New Coalition On Famine in East Africa - To respond to severe food insecurity in East Africa, JCPA joined the new Jewish Coalition for East Africa led by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The Coalition will address this rapidly growing crisis. JCPA is one of 10 inaugural organizations. According to the International Rescue Committee, "violent conflict and cyclical drought has left more than 30 million people across South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen at risk of starvation." The Coalition's first action was to contribute $10,000 to the Abayudaya community in Uganda for a safe water program following the drought in that region.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Situation Report. click here.

#FightFamine - In early April, JCPA joined Bread for the World, CARE, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam in a tweet storm, using the hashtag #FightFamine, to raise awareness about the humanitarian crises sweeping across Africa and ask that Congress allocate $1 billion to fight famine in the region. On May 3, Congress fulfilled that request by passing a 2017 spending bill that provides $990 million in emergency funding to address famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria..

JCPA Now Accepting Applications for Frank Fellow Future Leaders Fellowship Program 2017-18 - The Frank Family Leadership Institute: Engaging Future Leaders educates a select a talented group of young leaders from around the country for a one year fellowship experience with JCPA. This is a unique mentoring opportunity for emerging leaders who want to be active in the areas of public policy, public affairs, and intergroup/interfaith relations at both the local and national levels. The fellowship includes a mission to Poland and Israel as well as education and training in the community relations field.

JCPA Launches CRCast - JCPA is holding its second CRCast on May 17, a regular series tackling Jewish advocacy and community relations issues. From the rise of anti-Semitism worldwide to the new Administration to the challenges facing Israel, we will provide insight not just into complex issues but also practical solutions.

CRCast
The Socially Responsible Investing Movements Influence
on Israel/BDS and Other Communal ConcernsMay 17 at 4:00 p.m. ESTFeaturing Julie Hammerman and hosted by David Bernstein, President & CEO

Julie Hammerman is the Executive Director of JLens,
an organization that serves as the bridge between the Jewish community
and the increasingly influential responsible investing movement.

Webinar for JCRC Professionals: An Introduction to the JCRC Professional Training Guide 2017 and Other Key Resources - Tune in on May 11, 2:00 pm EST. The webinar will feature Doug Kahn, Executive Director Emeritus of the San Francisco JCRC. Click here to learn more and register.

POLICY

JFNA ACTION ALERT: Oppose the American Health Care Act in the Senate - Congress and the Trump Administration are moving fast to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill by the narrow margin of 217 to 213. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. JFNA is urging Jewish federations and their partner social service agencies to engage in advocacy on this vital matter. Your help is needed to educate elected officials, particularly your Senators, about the potential impact on your community if Medicaid is converted into a per capita cap or block grant.

Senate Judiciary Committee Responds to the Increase in Religious Hate Crimes - On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on ways to address the increasing number of religious hate crimes, which have been on the rise across the United States in the last several years. According to ADL's new report, released last week, “Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. surged more than one-third in 2016 and jumped 86% in the first quarter of 2017,” while 2015 FBI Hate Crimes Statistics show that crimes against Muslims have risen by 67% since 2014. Most of the expert witnesses agreed that mandatory incident reporting from all 18,000 local law enforcement agencies, anti-bias training and education, and enhanced community-police relations are crucial to effectively responding to religious hate crimes.

Read testimony from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Read testimony from Vanita Gupta, Incoming President and CEO of the Leadership.

IAN Statement on University of Wisconsin BDS Vote - The Israel Action Network (IAN) and Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, who provided extensive consulting and strategic support to the Hillel and pro-Israel students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, issued the following statement on the University of Wisconsin vote in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The statement reflects the difficult situation the pro-Israel students have been dealing with the student government — involving BDS, bias, discrimination, and, unfortunately, anti-Semitism.

JCPA Federal Advocacy in 2017 - In addition to meeting with federal legislators and other government officials, JCPA also frequently joins its partners in sending letters to policymakers, offering hearing testimony, and endorsing amicus briefs.

JCPA signed on to a Catholics for Choice letter in support of Planned Parenthood to Congress that was signed by 60 national, state and local faith organizations. The letter was published as an ad in the Washington Times and The Hill newspapers. You can view the ad here.

JCPA Calendar

May 11 - Doug Kahn will lead a Professional Develoment Webinar, An Introduction to the JCRC Professional Training Guide 2017 and Other Key Sources

May 17 - CRCast: The Socially Responsible Investing Movement's Influence on Israel/BDS and Other Communal Concerns

June 11- Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War in New York